1. |
I Forget
03:24
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Well you may have heard
That I've seen it all
But half of which
I just can't recall
And what I can
It just makes me laugh
I'm sure I forgot
The better half
For the part
That still remains
I've lost the words
That could explain
I remember faces
And forgot their names
Of all those friends
And places
Gone up in flames
But what I have
I'm glad I've got
I've gained a little
And I’ve lost a lot
And when it's gone
Well I watched it go
And all that's left
Is what I know
I've seen the sun
After it rains
I've climbed a tree
And I’ve carved my name
I've picked a fight
And I’ve broken them up
I've tossed a coin
Into a cup
I've had a coin
Tossed down to me
I've been up for days
I've sailed the sea
I've been on board
And I’ve run aground
I've buried treasure
And gold
I've found
I've been alive
And I’ve flown a kite
I've shaken hands
With death
And I’ve seen the light
I've watched them die
Shooting railroad spikes
Chasing broken bottles
Down that runaway life
And I've found love
And I’ve lost the flame
I've waited for her
To come again
I've seen them crawl
Through this life
Of debt
I've seen them caged
And kept as pets
I've breathed the air
And I’ve coughed up smoke
I've been cut deep
And ribs
I've broke
I've lent a hand
And I’ve won a bet
But what I've won
I always
Forget
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2. |
Born Again Fool
03:47
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Born again fool
At a table for two
Sitting alone
Upon a pigeon's stool
Who burnt both chairs
And felt cold by the fire
Poor comedian
You've come undone
Wasted your jokes
Upon a setting sun
Now only to yourself
Speak in hideous one-liners
Two faces speak
In tongues of Greek
One laughs
As the other weeps
Both keep their secrets
From each other
It's a hardened mask
That fits at last
Keeping it on
Is now your only task
Survive unrecognized
Forever
The lady seeks out
Men who'll be
Disappointing eventually
She must find love
In searching
For another
The light in his eyes
Grew dim with time
Consumed by
A blinding sky
Now memories strain
As shadows stand in line
And so
All that you'll know
Was stolen
And is borrowed
The truth didn't change
You just ain't the same
And old flames burn out
Then return
Ashes fall
As fire learns
Candles in hand
Everyone waits their turn
Yet two red hands
In cuffs demand
That someone just doesn't
Understand
Someone else says
Help yourself my friend
A bird of gold
Was caught and told
She'd never fly
On wind so cold
Icicles were clinging
To his teeth
Her sorrow floated
Out to sea
In a bottle
Addressed to me
I found it
And took a long drink
And so
All that you'll know
Was stolen
And is borrowed
The truth didn't change
You just forgot its name
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3. |
Something Else
04:05
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Sidewalk's all cracked
The street lamp light's out
Plastic bags say Thank You
All over town
And it ain't nighttime
Those ain't rain clouds
This kind of darkness
Is something else
The wind's blowing
Our mess around
The dead took shelter
They're all underground
And someone's calling my name
From down south
And I'm on my way
My way down now
I can't quite say it
Just plain and straight out
It's not that I don't want to
I just don't know how
And there's no whistle blowing
No train sounds
That noise your hearing
Is something else
Maybe someday I'll learn
To lie down
But tomorrow's just too far
It's too far now
And I get worried
Just when I smile
Because it's always changing
Into something else
Maybe someday I'll learn
To lie down
But tomorrow's just too far
It's too far now
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4. |
Until Then
03:13
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Old issues of the news
Line the cage
Of a captive bird
Swinging trapped inside
A broken bell
On a flattened curve
Singing such a strange
Familiar tune
I can’t seem to help
But hum it too
Took a long drive
And found
There’s an end
To every road
You said that you knew the way
But then confessed
You don’t
Always been saying
That you will
But I bet you won’t
Just try to tell me something
That I don’t know
Been watching it unwind
Every hour
Takes its turn
Feels just like nothing now
As your fingers
Trace the words
That appear on your window
Where you breathe
You’ve wiped them all away
But they never leave
Pour memories
Half filled up
And thrown against the wall
Still stepping
On those pieces
You never seem
To find them all
I know this has happened
So many times before
The writing’s on the wall
And there’s blood
All over the floor
Old issues of the news
Line the streets
throughout this town
Hear the sirens coming
Where are they going now
I know that we will never
Be here again
So let’s stay
Right here
Until then
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5. |
Middle Man
03:14
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I never met the middle man
He never spoke
Just exchanged hands
The siren’s song was the tune to which he danced
Just like the undertaker
Counting his friends
I had a friend who knew him well
But how they met
She’d never tell
She filled my glass so I never asked
As I made note that she only spoke
Of her distant past
I’ve seen that middle man before
His many faces and the open door
I’ve been in his house
Passed out on his couch
Face down on the floor
Was always cold
Like a jailhouse cell
The mortuary
And the bank’s stronghold
Just like the question, that you never ask
The middle man has half a glass
That’s always full of something that you’d rather not know of
But you know it’s there
The smoke and mirrors
Neon lights
That stink in the air
Take a deep breath
The middle man’s the phantom’s mask
Flowers on the grave
The cork in the cask
That twist-and-screw will never do
If he’s the one that taught you
So I’d keep my eye
On where he stands
That middle man
Trying to bribe the tides
He’s pulling
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6. |
Gone Blind
03:20
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This world’s an eye for an eye
No wonder everybody’s gone blind
I know
It comes at no surprise
Nothing is one of a kind
Ten million words used to describe
This hole
Waiting beneath the sky
Behold
Well now you’ve got time to pray
God is listening
I hope you got something
Good to say
There’s no use lying now
The truth always comes out
A few years and a couple of days
The lord moves in mysterious ways
We waltz in circles
Around the drain
Three meals and they’re all the same
Striped suits in a checkered frame
There are no windows here
But you can hear the rain
For gold
Well now you’ve got time
To play
The game is rigged
I know
But you roll the dice anyway
There’s no use keeping count
When it’s all run out
Oh
Well now you got time
To say
I’m sorry
That the light
Just had to be borne by flames
But it’s not your fault
We know who makes the call
No it’s not your fault
We know who makes the call
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7. |
My Place
04:57
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It’s funny how they held you down
After you tripped and fell
They set the trap
To do the trick
And so you might as well
Have never learned to walk
As you started off
Learning how to crawl
Living on your hands and knees
At least you’ll never have to fall
That far down
But ever since you started walking
And began to increase the pace
That set the whistle blowing
Meaning that it’s time to take your place
Amongst the dead
And those who are
Dying
Striving
Trying
Just to live
They who have been fooled
Into thinking
That they’ll get back
Just what they give
But it turns out
That all you’ll get is
Something taken away
They teach you how to count
So that you know
How much to pay
And everything that you thought you owned
Will be just short of what you owe
So you might just take off running
Thinking that there’s someplace else
Else to go
And then the fear
That you once felt
Is now the horror
That you know
Grim is the crop that you now reap
And these rags
You’ll have to sew
But since you’re here
Breathing
Beating that trashcan of a heart
Maybe you can figure out
How to turn this garbage
Into art
And you can sometimes
Look back and wonder
If you even had a chance from the start
But then be sure to look down
At that treasure in your shopping cart
And you shall come to realize that
This is neither circle
Nor a race
Laughing into the night sky
Thinking
I love life
But this ain’t my place
Oh
I love life
But this
Ain’t
My
Place
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Maxwell Lee New Orleans, Louisiana
My Place Is A Place Of Many Places
#MPIAPOMP
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